


Reunion

by longlostintentions



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Afterlife, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Death, Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, not a lot of angst really, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longlostintentions/pseuds/longlostintentions
Summary: Ravus must face his family in the afterlife in light of what he's done in his life.He ends up very glad he did.





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I want redemption for this boy and I miss my mama really bad so I decided to live vicariously through him.

      The first thing he saw was light, rippling and wavering above him like he was staring at the water's surface. Then, as became more and more conscious (could he really be conscious?) he realized that was exactly where he was. It was no struggle to reach the surface and stand, and when he looked down at where he'd come from it did not look like water. Only black, inky abyss lapping at his knees. The next thing Ravus noticed, was that he was completely bare, including both his unmarred arms. He should have felt surprise, but all he could feel was a dull tugging at in the back of his mind. Then he heard a voice.

“Ravus....” Lunafreya called to him from the banks. Ravus looked up with such ferocity it made him stumble. She stood holding open a white robe, much like the one in which she was currently dressed. Lacking, he marveled, a remarkable lack of blood.

“Luna!” he blurted out, wobbling onto the shore, and she smiled. It had been years since he called her that.

      Luna offered him the robe but first, he pulled her into his arms, petting her hair that was now cascading down her shoulders. She giggled into his chest and wrapped her arms around him, hanging the robe over his shoulders and enjoying the warmth of the brother she felt she'd lost years ago. When they parted, and he fastened the robe over himself, she admired how he finally looked unburdened. His smile, rare even before losing their home, finally graced his lips. The only time he ever smiled was around her, although she had seen it on his face when he told her stories of the father she'd never met. Luna slipped her hand into his and they started to walk, Ravus paying no attention to where they were going and suspecting Luna had no idea either.

      As they walked, Luna held on tightly, as though afraid he might leave.

“Ravus... Please know that it was not Noctis who betrayed you,” she pleaded softly. She did not know how daemonization affected memory, he certainly hadn't come here until after his body rested for good. Ravus had been hurt, at first, but he could catch glimpses of the reluctant king and his retinue through the cloud that had hazed his mind. He could still remember the feeling of the sickness bubbling up through his mouth, the pain of his skin as it seared beneath the ichor that stained him, the creaking of his bones as new limbs sprouted unnaturally. He could also remember the way none of them would look at him, the way they held back, clearly not wanting to fight, the look of remorse as they finally put his aching body to rest.

“I know, Lunafreya.... Luna,” he corrected. It was with a fierceness that he desired his sister back after so long, to regain the closeness they had growing up. She looked relieved for it. Her smile was peaceful, and she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as they walked in silence for a minute. Then she squeezed his hand, drawing his attention back to her.

“Still, you called him your king,” Luna said endearingly and, he noted with some self-consciousness, a little teasing.

“He deserved my allyship long ago, I only wish I could have done more than offer him his father's glaive,” he remorsed, and his face darkened.

“Even that I failed to do.”

Luna pressed her lips to his shoulder and stopped walking, causing him to halt and blink back at her.

“You did all you could,” she encouraged, and her smile lightened his chest.

      Though Ravus hadn't noticed the scenery change around them, they had approached a grove of trees, tall and covered in vines the likes of which they would have seen at home before it burned. A similar one had grown close to their castle, and as children it was their favorite place to play unhindered. He could even see a creek twisting its way between the trees. With so many bad dealings with illusions in his life, he wanted to be wary. He found he simply couldn't be. Not with the peace of it and the ever shining spirit of Luna next to him.

“There is someone here who would very much like to see you,” she said, gesturing through the trees. He let her guide him, moving effortlessly between the tall trees. Then, halfway through to the clearing, he stopped. Now it was her turn to look back at him, and see the beginnings of doubt in his face. In the clearing their mother waited patiently, Ravus couldn't tell if she knew they were there, but something told him she did. For the first time since arriving, fear and guilt stabbed at his mind.

“Lunafreya, I don't think I can,” he confessed. She softened and stood in front of him, hiding the view of their mother.

“The things I've done, they cannot be erased. How do I face her after so many years when-- Lunafreya I don't believe I belong here,” he admitted. His body felt like it was sinking into the ground, and he wanted to let it swallow him. Luna, ever fierce, tugged him forward, back to attention.

“You must not think things like that here,” she commanded. It wasn't unusual for her to be able to boss him around and whip him into shape. That was something that she had been doing (not often, but occasionally) since they were very young. She was strong willed and could not be dissuaded once she made up her mind.

“You have always been the perfect child, you do not have to stand alone waiting for judgement,” he said petulantly.

“What a relief, it must be then, that I will not let you alone,” she teased, coaxing him to walk with her again.

      Whatever awkwardness he had been expecting upon meeting his mother face to face, there was no time to feel it as she immediately swept across the clearing and gathered him up in her arms. The feeling of her affection made his heart beat harder. She was dressed simply, like he and his sister, and her robes billowed around him and he felt her breath on his cheek. The realization that he was taller than her now was jarring, It hurt. It only reminded him of how many years he spent growing up without her. When she pulled back, he was alarmed to see tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

“You've become even more handsome,” she said, placing her hands on either side of his face. She looked exactly as he had remembered. Luna sidled up and snuggled into her mother familiarly.

“Ravus, you have a question to ask me...” their mother said suddenly, and his face morphed into one of surprise. She laughed.

“Your father had the same look about him when he wished to discuss something,” she explained. Luna was happy to see this made Ravus smile. Even if it was quick to fade.

“Mother, you...” he took a breath.

“You died to protect me. I have often wondered if I was.... Worth the sacrifice,” he admitted. His mother's eyes saddened, and she pulled him down to press a kiss on his forehead. He allowed himself to be comforted by it.

“Ravus, I have watched over you since the day I left, and not once have I regretted my decision.”

The weight of her words made his throat close, and he closed his eyes and rested against her to fight off emotion. He'd always been reticent, and his time spent with their invaders only worsened it. Now he was forced to bare himself to someone he loved, someone he felt he had no right to be loved by. With proof that she absolutely, unarguably did.

“If you had truly been watching me then I cannot believe you would forgive me so easily,” he said. His mother straightened up and looked as regal as Lunafreya did when she became headstrong.

“My love, your grief left you susceptible to manipulation. You did wrong, and in the end you stood up against the empire. You need no forgiveness,” she said gently. His body was shaking as she pulled his head down to rest between hers and Luna's. He gathered them both up in his arms.

      Moments later, what felt like a lifetime later, Ravus raised his head amid his mother's hand stroking his hair.

“Mother?” he asked tentatively.

“Ravus?” she returned. Her playfulness eased him.

“Is father here?” he sounded hopeful this time. Luna, too, looked at her mother with wide, curious eyes. The woman was happy she would not disappoint them.

“I have seen him, further along. He has been here much longer, and I told him I wished to wait for you,” she answered.

“Can we see him?”

“I think he would be delighted to see you,” she said. Ravus grabbed Luna's hands, looking happier than she had seen him since they were children.

“Luna you must meet him! A kinder man you'll never meet!” he assured, and she nodded wish a big smile. She allowed him to tug her along, down the path with their mother following at a distance. Luna thought briefly that she would rather stay with her mother than leave her for a man she couldn't remember ever meeting. Still, her brother was eager, and it made her want to comply. Besides, she was curious.

      Their father was not expecting them, at least it seemed that way as his back was towards them when they finally found him. It took Ravus's shout for him to turn and acknowledge them. His face was kind, like the face Luna thought fathers should have. She had seen pictures of course, but it was different seeing it in person. There was so much of Ravus and of herself in him. Ravus did not hesitate in going up to hug him, and at once he felt like a toddler again. Running into his father's arms after he came home from a long trip. He still looked like a king, even without a crown or his layers of raiments. His eyes cast on Luna and he looked taken aback.

“Is that my Lunafreya?” he asked in wonder, going over to take her face in his hand. She smiled and put her own hand over his.

“This tall, elegant woman is my infant daughter? Has it really been so many years?”

“I feel it's due time we met.... Father,” she tested. It felt right on her tongue, even though she has no memory of this man. He enveloped her in a hug, as warm as any fathers should be. As loving as she had often seen Regis hold Noctis, with a sort of pang in her heart she couldn't understand. She felt his scratchy beard on the top of her head as he presses kisses to it, making her smile. Ravus felt his mother's warmth behind him, enveloping them both. Things felt alright for the first time in many years.

 


End file.
